Feminist News

Summit in Britain Addresses Body Image

Responding to criticism that dangerously thin models in fashion magazines contribute to rising rates of anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders, the British fashion magazine industry suggested Wednesday that self-regulation can improve women's physical and emotional health. Editors, advertisers, and affiliates of the fashion industry attending the unprecedented Body Image Summit in London promised to endorse a code that would ban anorexic models from its pages and use models who "varied in size and shape." Last month, the British Medical Association, calling for "more realistic body shapes" in fashion magazines, targeted the media industry for its role in perpetuating low self-confidence among women and girls.